


we are not alone in the dark with our demons

by TechnicalTragedy



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, my mom and dad tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-24
Updated: 2016-06-24
Packaged: 2018-07-17 23:12:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7289860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TechnicalTragedy/pseuds/TechnicalTragedy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"How do you do it, Pike?"</p>
<p>"Oh, it's a constant fight. But us? We're good at that."</p>
            </blockquote>





	we are not alone in the dark with our demons

**Author's Note:**

> i'm lovin percypike ok.... ive been thinking of writing something for them for a while but ep 58 really cemented my want so here, take this.
> 
> title is from [I Have Made Mistakes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czFgKa7YcIQ) by The Oh Hello's

“Do you believe even bad men have worth?” Percy asks. “Does Sarenrae's idea of redemption extend to those with evil in their hearts?”

 

Pike looks to him. His face is a blank slate and he stares straight ahead. “Well,” she says, “Sarenrae believes that anyone can be forgiven. She believes, and by extension I believe, that every life has inherent worth, and that even the cruelest and darkest soul can find the light.” There is a beat of silence, where Percy seems to consider Pike's words. With trepidation, she reaches up to take his hand, and finally he looks at her. “I do not believe you are a bad man.”

 

Percy swallows. His eyes close as if to steel himself, but he meets Pike's gaze once more. “I have done so much,” he says. “How can you believe I am good?”

 

“You are trying to right the wrongs you have committed. Though you don't think of yourself as good, you are trying to be just that,” she says. Pike squeezes his hand, and tugs until he kneels to her level.

 

“It's difficult, Pike,” Percy says. He is an open book; he is a sailor lost at sea and struggling to find anything resembling land.

 

Pike smiles. She puts her hands on either side of his face and sees them glowing with Sarenrae's warmth. “It's not always easy to be good. Sometimes it's the hardest path to walk. But if you can _try_ , if you're willing to face your errors and actively seek to fix what you've done,” she pinches Percy's cheeks, drawing a smile from him, “then that is all anyone can ask of you.”

 

“How do you do it, Pike?” Percy asks.

 

She shakes her head. “Oh, it's a constant fight. But us? We're good at that.”

 

Percy's eyes trace her scar, the one she earned while sailing the Ozmit Sea. “And you're the best of us,” he says quietly.

 

Pike laughs, “Certainly not! I'm just here to try and help you all find the best in yourselves. That's a big part of redemption, you know.”

 

“Then I'll have an issue with being redeemed,” Percy says.

 

At this Pike grows serious again, all of the amusement fading to be replaced by her love for Percy and her need to ease his hurt. “It's okay to forgive yourself. I know it's hard. Trust me, I know how difficult it can be to make peace with your own mistakes and shortcomings,” she says.

 

Percy wonders how much he really knows about Pike, and how much of her pain she keeps hidden to put on a brave face. “What if I'm beyond forgiveness?” he says.

 

And Pike smiles once more and places a careful kiss on Percy's forehead. Warmth envelops him and he feels baptized by it. “Not many are beyond forgiveness, Percy, and you are certainly not one of them.”

 

His throat closes, and while Percy loathes crying, especially in front of others, he has the feeling that Pike would never judge him for it. “It's heavy,” he says. He hates how thick his voice sounds.

 

Pike takes his hand, stepping back, and a gentle glow surrounds her form. “Then allow me to help make it light,” she says.

 

And despite the guilt and sorrow, despite the gnarled root of pain that has been lodged in his chest for years, despite his unwillingness to rely on others, Percy nods. His mind is consumed with healing warmth. Peace enters his heart.

 


End file.
